An attractive package for converting just one or two devices to surround. It looks great and offers wonderful sound, but for combining the control of four or five devices, there are better alternatives.

A reasonable alternative for people who want 5.1 and already have a DVD player. It comes at a budget price but there are better options.

A reasonable purchase for those venturing into the world of home theatre.

Elegantly simple, the Sony is not a revolutionary device, but it's easy and intuitive to use.

A combo device that goes beyond the minimum requirements to get ticks in the specifications table. Toshiba has put together a high-quality device.

An outstanding combination of DVD recorder and VHS player.

The Sanyo could have been quite a decent combination device, but it gets too many little things wrong.

A decent convergence device. Not too flashy, but with plenty of display options. It's not really the choice for the hard-core videophile, but for the rest of us the V5500 covers most of the right bases.

Brilliant. If it weren't for the poor handling of JPG and MP3 discs, this DVD-recorder and VHS combo would get the perfect rating.

There's little to fault in either its DVD or VCR functions, but the Sharp DV-NC200X could hardly be described as at the cutting-edge of technology.

If you want to record pay TV and have a real electronic program guide, then the Foxtel iQ is the only choice. It's a fantastic product, if you're willing to pay the subscription fee for it.

Denon's Hurricane is a good choice for anyone looking to establish a serious home theatre. The sound quality is fantastic and the array of connections ensures it won't be obsolete any time soon.